Why I Write Young Adult Historical Fiction

March 2, 2020 Writing craft, Young Adult

I’ll be honest: my young adult historical fiction has mostly had lackluster sales. In fact, after my editor left my YA publisher, no one seemed very interested in continuing to ... Read more

Mother Goose and Show Don’t Tell

October 20, 2019 Editing, Writing craft

Many books and blog posts have been written about “show don’t tell.” I’m not going to pontificate about it here. As most writers understand, there’s a place for both in ... Read more

Trilogy and Series Craft Notes

September 10, 2019September 11, 2019 Writing craft, Writing life

There’s no denying the appeal to readers of a series or a trilogy. When I think about it, I realize that I truly fell in love with reading because of ... Read more

The Importance of Connecting

November 18, 2018November 18, 2018 Writing craft, Writing life

It’s been a while since I’ve written one of these posts, mostly because I’ve been head down writing my new WIP. This project is all absorbing, because I am very ... Read more

Rewriting vs. editing—the painful difference

April 1, 2018April 1, 2018 rewriting, Writing craft, Writing life

I wonder how many readers think that writers just sit down and pour out a story onto the page, that maybe with a few little edits and tweaks the story ... Read more

Art and Story

March 11, 2018 Random thoughts, Soul searching, Writing craft, Writing life

I haven’t been to an art museum in quite a while. I used to go all the time. The only reason I went today was because there was such a ... Read more

Ruminations about structure

February 26, 2018February 26, 2018 Writing craft

No two ways about it: I’m struggling with the structure of my WIP. It’s as if I’ve spent months making what I hoped would be a beautiful garment, something I ... Read more

Where does the art of writing come from?

February 12, 2018February 14, 2018 Random thoughts, Research, Writing craft, Writing life

I firmly believe that 90% of writing is craft rather than art. But that ineffable 10%, the part that elevates a well-constructed, readable story to something more—where does that come ... Read more

Writing a Novel Beginning

January 9, 2018February 2, 2018 Research, Writing craft, Writing life

One of the greatest challenges in writing any story is figuring out where it begins and where it ends—most writers know that all too well. What seems like the obvious ... Read more

Failures and Triumphs

December 15, 2017 Publishing business, Soul searching, Writing craft, Writing life

It’s been an interesting time for me in the world of writing and writer friends. I’m so pleased that two of my favorite authors—Kris Waldherr and Nancy Bilyeau—have sold historical ... Read more